Local Review: Ryan Boud – Falling Stars

Local Review: Ryan Boud – Falling Stars
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Ryan Bound Falling Stars Ryan Boud = Jade Tree + acoustic guitar + Gathering Osiris   Ryan Boud probably wants to be signed, but he already sounds like he’s on a label—the packaging, production and delivery of his music is pretty much Pollyanna perfect. Bitterness against perfect-aspiring people aside, Ryan Boud’s songwriting is quite impressive

Local Review: Royal Bliss – After the Chaos II

Local Review: Royal Bliss – After the Chaos II
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Royal Bliss After the Chaos II Air Castle Records Royal Bliss = Vertical Horizon + P.O.D. For how many people can’t stand Royal Bliss, they sure show up the hatahs with After the Chaos II. Sure, Royal Bliss come from a surefire mainstream perspective, but how. This album has more catchy hooks than an 18th-century

Local Review: Purr Bats – Soft Fluff EP

Local Review: Purr Bats – Soft Fluff EP
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Purr Bats Soft Fluff EP State of Deseret Purr Bats = Virgin Prunes + Rope or Bullets + candy necklaces   Purr Bats, a jeweled rainbow Phoenix risen out of the bleak, life-affirming wasteland that was Utah County band Puri-do, are a fleck of unadulterated talent in a grey fog of bombastic music caricatures. They

Local Review: Quetté Daddie – Reverse Psychology

Local Review: Quetté Daddie – Reverse Psychology
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Quetté Daddie Reverse Psychology JAMS Quetté Daddie = Bert McCracken’s publicity stunts + $10 DI Casio   “Before music critic [sic] bash my music in a CD review, I think they should try to understand my music and my pain,” says Quetté Daddie at the beginning of Reverse Psychology. Could he be talking about little

Local Review: Red Bennies – Adult Sophisticates

Local Review: Red Bennies – Adult Sophisticates
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Red Bennies Adult Sophisticates Rest 30 Red Bennies = 40s big band + 50s garage + 70s soloing I can’t give Red Bennies a bad review because one of the members used to be my next-door neighbor, and when I would get hungry, I would go over to their house and his wife would serve

Local Review: Rezolution – Karmakatastrophe

Local Review: Rezolution – Karmakatastrophe
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Rezolution Karmakatastrophe Fenix   Rezolution sent SLUG a copy of their new CD, even though I bashed their last one. Maybe they thought there was a different reviewer now; nope—Nicholas Fox was me, Rezolution. Face! Anyway, Rezolution pride themselves on having more substance than most “cute boy-bands.” They are heavier than Justin Timberlake; I’ll give

Local Review: Quiet Colors – Self-titled demo

Local Review: Quiet Colors – Self-titled demo
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Quiet Colors Self-titled demo Quiet Colors = Circa Survive + Armor for Sleep Quiet Colors comes off like an Equal Visions band with their melodic-emo-with-punk-overtones mix. The music’s cloudy-darkish, but behind it the sun is bursting out orange and glorious, and the big reverby guitars make golden rainbows. Um. Not golden showers. Armor for Sleep

Local Review: Purr Bats – Bionic Fresh Moves

Local Review: Purr Bats – Bionic Fresh Moves
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Purr Bats Bionic Fresh Moves State of Deseret/Rest 30 Purr Bats = Purr Bats They’re incomparable, sorry. Salt Lake’s best dour synth-disco-spazz band that will kill you with humor while they revive you with succinctness have so many tongues in cheeks it’d be an athletic event to french ’em. Purr Bats move in a more

Local Review: November Tide – Jargon Sunset

Local Review: November Tide – Jargon Sunset
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November Tide Jargon Sunset Nova One Productions November Tide = Ron L. Hubbard + Roses & Exile It’s amazing the variety of projects Chris Alvarado takes on, from the black industrial of 23 Extacy to Twilight Transmissions to Roses & Exile to now, the delicate, mellow tracings of November Tide. Lying underneath the multiple layers

Local Review: Pelpp and A. Vanvranken – Pedal

Local Review: Pelpp and A. Vanvranken – Pedal
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Pelpp and A. Vanvranken Pedal Pelpp and A. Vanvranken = Worm is Green + Bjork’s Vespertine – vocals   Electro-ambiance flutters in the deepening twilight; machines have warmth too. Like the sophisticated, emotional electronic renderings of Iceland’s Worm is Green, Pelpp and A. Vanvranken is minimal but powerful—knows when adding just one more note would